The top seed Utah Jazz got shocked by the hard-fighting Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, and the shooting struggles of Jordan Clarkson surely didn't help.
Clarkson has been Mr. Instant Offense for the Jazz all season, dropping easy buckets off the bench like the rim is as huge as The Great Salt Lake. But against the eighth-seeded Grizzlies, it felt like the rim was as tight as a rusty faucet. Clarkson shot an anemic 5-of-16 from the field, including 0-of-8 from three-point land. Because of this, his streak of hitting at least one three-point shot ended at 94 games.
The 28-year-old Clarkson had trouble against the phalanx of tough Grizzlies defenders, including Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen, and De'Anthony Melton. He ended up with only 14 points in 30 minutes, clearly below his career-high 18.4 points per game in the regular season.
With Jazz main man Donovan Mitchell still sidelined, Clarkson will have to break out of his slump quickly to help his squad even up the series against the dangerous Grizzlies led by a fired-up Ja Morant. The Grizzlies defense keyed up on Clarkson in Game 1 but being a veteran, he's expected to make personal adjustments in Game 2.
Despite his struggles on Sunday, Clarkson is still the clear-cut favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year trophy. After a mostly erratic start to his NBA career, he has truly found a perfect role. The Grizzlies may have found ways to stop him on Sunday, but Jordan Clarkson surely won't let one bad game deter him from getting buckets and perhaps start another streak from beyond the arc.
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